Thread: Seal wax and stamps

I am thinking about getting a seal for use with sealing wax.
Since I know squat about it, I thought I'd start by asking here.
Does anyone here use it? Any tips on getting or making a seal stamp? Things to look for, to avoid, to keep in mind?

Sealing Wax

found this in a quick search. I bet with your skills and creativity a seal stamp wouldnt be too difficult.

It appears they can make a custom seal as well.

the wax is not really a wax,Is hard stick lacquer

interesting thread. didn't know people used it any more. i don't know how hot it gets but i imagine one could carve a stamp out of wood or cast one with some low temperature melting metal like pewter. just don't forget to make the image backwards!

When I was a kid I remember seeing a ring (finger) with an embossed face for sealing whatever. Thought it was really cool and would have gotten one if I had the wherewithal back then. I was making $42.72 per week, so 14k gold rings with custom faces were too rich for my blood. Cool idea though.

I like the idea of these & looked it some time back
I am sure if you got a brass leather stamp made it can work the same.
Have also seen just them carved into horn rods, this what I was looking at doing similar to my makers mark.

In the old days the nobility had crest rings and they used them as seals. The big shots like the Royalty and Royal agencies had actual seals. I've seen sealing waxes here and there. I guess it's some wax like material but as Pixie says not a true wax cause it has to dry fast and be hard.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

the wax is not really a wax,Is hard stick lacquer

If I recall correctly the seals used to be actual wax. Either beeswax or a mixture of wax and resin. But this is going back many centuries, so I'm sure Pixel is 100% correct that the modern stuff is no longer wax. Just saying that if you had some wax on hand it could be used in an authentic-ish kind of way. Lead was used too, particularly by the papal curia. Depending on how many people witnessed them, mediaeval documents could get pretty heavy pretty quickly.

As for the actual seal/stamp, I know you can buy ready-made ones with initials, etc., but for someone who works with very hot steel, why not fabricate your own? Any excuse to forge something is a good one.

I restore and resilver clock dials (amost always ships clocks) the dials are deeply engraved.
I remove the old wax and melt in the hard Laquer with a heat gun,chuck it on a lathe faceplate, than sand and resilver,sets up very hard.

You could always look back in your family tree and see if you there is a family crest and can make a seal from that. I know most families at one point or another had a crest of some sort.